Live and Local on Hillsborough Street

Hillsborough Street is the cultural hub that separates NC State's Campus from the rest of Raleigh. It is a host to many different great restaurants and shops. This Saturday the vendors are coming together to present the Triangle with a music festival for Earth Day. Music starts at noon and will go until 2am at various venues up and down Hillsborough Street. The event features every kind of music "from alternative rock to Top 40 covers and New Orleans rhythm and blues." Several local artists featured on WKNC will be performing including Lizzy Ross Band, Greg Humphreys, as well as Once and Future Kings. Nationally-acclaimed garage noise rock band METZ will also be in attendance as they play at Schoolkids Records at 3:30pm before their show at the Local 506 that night. There will also be many other different events and discounts from vendors all day. More information as well as concert schedules are available here. Be sure to check out this event and celebrate Earth Day!

Record Store Black Friday: Thoughts from Local Record Store Owners

Hey y'all,

I hope everyone is excited to get fat and stuff on Thursday.  And then on Friday, to buy LOTS OF LPs!!!  You can peruse the releases that you (might) be able to purchase here (more on that later), but first, check below to see what some real local record store employees are excited about for this upcoming sales extravaganza.

Schoolkids Records' employee Kyle Rosko is excited about a whole lot of releases.  Namely, the Beach Boys Surfin' Safara 10", the White Stripes Live at Hotel Yorba 7", and the Skrillex Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites first press to wax.  I may have made up that last one.

Chaz of Bull City Records fame is really excited about the Scettore Studios Sessions from The Velvet Underground.  This is an acetate release from way back before The Velvet Underground & Nico was released, and features demo/alternate versions of some songs that ended up on that classic album.

Some guy from Offbeat Music in Durham, NC (sorry I didn't catch you name, but your store is great!!)  is apprehensive about the day, because as of when I called him, he didn't know what was going to be coming to the store.  He brings up an interesting point--that retail can be stressful, especially when you're dealing with a bunch of stocking agencies that are smokin' doobies rather than employing high-quality analytics systems that can give record store owners a better idea of what they're getting.  Alas.

That's all I got,

Have fun, eat good food, buy good music!

John

 

Record Store Day—April 16

Saturday will mark the 2011 installment of Record Store Day, celebrating the art of music and independently-owned record stores.  Main attractions include special vinyl and CD releases, in-store performances, and giveaways, like Record Store Day's website giving away a Buddy Miller guitar.

Schoolkids Records in Raleigh will open at 10:0 a.m. Saturday and have in-store performances by Radical Classical, Dex Romweber, The Raveonettes, and Adventure. CD Alley in Chapel Hill and Offbeat Music in Durham will open at 10:00a.m. as well. Durham's Bull City Records will open at 11:00 a.m., with refreshments and surprise performances.

"I think it's a great celebratory day that brings awareness to the physical stores," said Chaz Martenstein, owner of Bull City Records. "It's a joint day shared between the stores and the people who keep them open. I love the spirit of it."

As an added bonus, any purchase made at Schoolkids, Bull City, and Wilmington's Gravity Records will enter you into a drawing for two All-Show writstbands for Hopscotch music festival. The lineup for the September festival will be announced April 20.

For more information about Record Store Day and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.



Hammer No More The Fingers To Play Area Record Stores

Durham trio Hammer No More The Fingers are set to release their new album, Black Shark, on April 5. To celebrate the release, the band will play three in-store shows at local record stores. The band will play at CD Alley in Chapel Hill at 3 p.m., Bull City Records in Durham at 5 p.m., and Schoolkids Records in Raleigh at 7 p.m. The shows are free, so get out and support some local music and businesses.

Double Barrel Benefit compilations available at Schoolkids, Bull City Records

There's still time to get your own little piece of Double Barrel Benefit 8, while also supporting your local independent record store!

Compilations are $7, and are now available at Schoolkids Records in Raleigh and Bull City Records in Durham.

WKNC DBB 8 Compilation:
1. "Wherever" Inflowential
2. "Like a Camera" Kid Future
3. "Day That I Was Born" The Old Ceremony
4. "California" Luego
5. "May, June, July" Cassis Orange
6. "Hot Balloons" Yardwork
7. "King of Fools" Bright Young Things
8. "Blanko Basnet" Hammer No More the Fingers

Tracks 1-7 were engineered and mixed by WKNC staff, under the direction of WKNC Sessions Director Eric Scholz, in Caldwell Lounge on the campus of N.C. State University; track 8 was engineered and mixed by Pete Kimosh; all tracks were mastered by Kitchen Mastering in Carrboro, NC, and CD duplication was provided by Triangle Duplication Services in Raleigh, NC.

Wildwood release party Saturday at the Cradle

Magic happened in the form of live local music Saturday night at the Cat's Cradle as Chatham County Line had their album release show for Wildwood.

Birds & Arrows were invited to open for a late arriving crowd who were chit-chatting quite loudly at the start of the set. That was until the war painted lead singer Andrea Connolly opened her mouth for the first time and her strong but enchanting voice immediately silenced the entire venue as B&A jumped right into one of their favorites, "Honeymoon Song." The group debuted several brand new songs including their new single "Pride of Lions" which is slated to be released this Friday evening in Durham. Needless to say, I believe many in the crowd were not followers of our local music scene, and I heard nearly a dozen people exclaim how impressed they were with this "unknown" band. After their set, the crowd gave B&A a well deserved rousing applause.

Birds & Arrows are playing this Friday in downtown Durham for the release of their new 7" single off of 307 Knox Records. Billy Sugarfix who is also on the release and Schooner are playing as well.

Chatham County Line took the stage a short time later to a cheering and delightful near-sellout crowd. There was an immediate hush followed by an ecstatic breakout as the acoustic band dived right into to a couple of brand new songs off of Wildwood. If you still have not had the opportunity to hear the new album yet, which is being released officially tomorrow, you will be happy to know that it is the band's best to date, even outshining its famous last release, IV. Where IV was poppy, Wildwood is hesitant, teetering on the edge of a jumpy hook and laidback mountain picking culminating in a highly pleasing and overall satisfying listen that keeps you coming back (I've had it on repeat for almost two weeks now). The crowd in Carrboro was kind enough to stay mostly quiet through the show until the end of each song (save for a few drunken loudmouths) as the group plays acoustic and using only one microphone stand to play around. Dave Wilson even commented that "Carrboro was always more polite than our hometown of Raleigh." In total, CCL played 22 songs (by my count) in its entire set including 7 from Wildwood bringing the audience to their knees at the end of the final encore begging for even more.  After this show, it is obvious that CCL owns the Triangle and the entire Southern bluegrass scene.

Chatham County Line is playing several shows on Tuesday including free ones at Sadlack's Heroes in support of Schoolkid's Records and another at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill.

Listen to CCL on the Local Beat 7/2/10:
Chatham County Line on the Local Beat 7/2/10

EOT preview: 4/19

Make sure to catch this week's episode of Eye on the Triangle, the only place you'll get a recap of the week's most important headlines you missed while you were busy wishing you were at Coachella. You'll also want to call in during the inevitably vexed editorial (the number's 860-0881 or 515-2400) as well as hear a first-hand recount of the police seizure of James Madison University's riot photos.

On a lighter note, two local jewelry makers dish about their jobs, products and life in Raleigh, and in Hear This, EOT team members explore the third annual Record Store Day through the lens of one of the coolest independent record stores anywhere, Raleigh's own Schoolkids Records. They talked to an employee and loyal music lovers to find out what all the fuss was about.

Tweet your comments at us @WKNCEOT or call in during the show.

WKNC chart toppers at Schoolkids Records

The next time you’re in Schoolkids Records on Hillsborough Street, be on the lookout for the current top Daytime albums played on WKNC!  Interspersed among the CD racks of Schoolkids are homemade WKNC placecards that feature thoughtfully-written reviews by staff of our top-played records.

Part of the magic of browsing the local record store is the thrill of the search: thumbing through the record collection and discovering a true gem.  We hope that by offering our picks at Schoolkids we can have a more intimate dialogue with our listeners and with other fellow music lovers and that our relationship with Schoolkids can help us to further spread our passion for the many fantastic albums we sing along and dance to.

As the weeks go by, we expect to include among our recommendations the many genres of music we play on our station including picks from our fantastic local music scene, hip hop, afterhours, chainsaw, and music from our station’s many specialty shows.  Check this blog each week for a post from our music directors about the current chart topper,  and let us know what you think!

EOT02 Hillsborough Street 8/31/09

If you missed Monday's episode of Eye on the Triangle, no need to fret!

Here's a brief rundown of the segments for the week with a link for the podcast at the end (although you should definitely tune in live from here on out to listen to some exclusives like music clips throughout the show).

VIP:
This week, Adam Compton interviewed Nina Szlosberg from the Hillsborough Street Partnership about the renovations project. For more information on the renovations, you can follow ninaszlosberg on Twitter or visit the Web site at http://hillsboroughstreet.wordpress.com.

Saja Hindi also interviewed Kevin Jennings, owner of Urban Food Group and of Frazier's and Porter City Tavern on Hillsborough Street, about how the construction has been impacting the businesses during this already tough economic time.

HEAR THIS:

Rachel Sloan interviewed an employee from Schoolkids Records, Eric Tschudi, about how the business is faring with the decline in record sales, even after its move on Hillsborough Street. Kelly Reid also previews Monday night's Old Bricks show at Slim's.

COMMUNITY CANVAS:

Mike Alston interviewed visual artist Ryan Cummings about his work, especially on the Hear Here compilation CD cover. You can check out more of his work at http://www.ryancummingsdecorative.com/.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:

This week, we featured Logan Sayles, senior in graphic design and co-president of the Design Council. Sayles talked about the life of a design student, the projects he's worked on and the notorious design school Halloween Bash. Also, check back here for photos Wednesday.

SOUNDBYTES:

Caitlin Cauley interviewed students around campus and brought you audio clips of their answers to this week's question: Do you use Twitter, and what do you think of it? The answers may be surprising to some.

And, as always, send in your comments, suggestions, gripes and complaints to publicaffairs@wknc.org. We may even read your response live if you so desire.

Don't forget to tune in again next Monday to WKNC 88.1 for Eye on the Triangle from 7 - 8 p.m. EST or listen online at wknc.org.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT02_083109.mp3

Schoolkids Records: When State Wins, YOU Win!

And this is why we love independently owned neighborhood music shops:
Schoolkids Records in Raleigh has announced a brand new program titled: "When State Wins, You Win".  Says Schoolkids:

When an NC State team wins, you get $2 off any new or used CDs, records, or DVDs (priced $7.99 or higher) you buy the day after they win. For instance, when State sticks it to South Carolina this Thursday, walk across the street and come in on Friday and present your student ID and you'll get $2 off any new or used CD, record, or DVD you buy priced $7.99 or higher. You can do this for multiple items, too. This isn't just the football team; this will count for State's basketball team (men's or women's), baseball team, softball team, and soccer team (men's or women's). So, it's a win-win. Sweet!

Sweet indeed Schoolkids.  I will see you Friday morning.  Go Wolfpack!

Still Want A Copy Of Hear Here?

Couldn't make it out to the show last night at the Cats Cradle but still want a copy of Hear Here?  Well, don't fret because the compilation will be available for purchase at a variety of places including:

• Schoolkids Records (Raleigh)


• CD Alley (Chapel Hill)


• Bull City Records (Durham)


• Every week at Local Beer Local Band


• And don't forget about the the Oct 3rd show at the Pour House!

Back To School With Schoolkids Records

As NC State gears up for the fall '09 semester Schoolkids Records in Raleigh is offering a $2 off back-to-school coupon for any purchase over $7.99.   The offer is only valid through September 1st and the store recommends printing out "as many as you'd like!"

Schoolkids is located at 2114 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC.

Remember, supporting local music isn't just about the bands, its the entire community!

Annuals Performing at Schoolkids Today!

Need to recover from your Superbowl hangover and/or get over the Monday Blues? A possible remedy would be to check out the Annuals performing for free in studio at Schoolkids Records . Show starts at 6pm.

-The Promotions Team

Schoolkids Records Moving

Its no secret, the last Schoolkids left, the only one, the rarest of the surviving independent record stores is moving.  Thankfully, its just half a mile down the street from its current location.  And while this means I have to walk an extra 5 minutes (making it a total of 5.5 minutes for me now), at least its not moving away forever or to some distant land (say, like Chapel Hill or Durham).  The "Great Schoolkids Move" of 2009 will take place January 25th, and reopen January 26th. 

AND, not only are they moving, but they are marking this occasion with some really kickass shows.  The Annuals will be coming in on February 2nd (show starts at 6pm), and the Dexter Romweber Duo is performing on February 10th (also at 6pm).   The best thing, both these shows are FREE.

There are some good things about this move.  In addition to two free shows, I could possibly stand to burn some New Year Resolution calories hiking the extra distance, and I could stop at a number of the resturaunts along Hillsborough on the way home (or all of them) without feeling guilty.  I never understood the idea of positioning such a fantastic store between a NCSU staff parking lot, Fed-Ex Kinkos, and Gumby's Pizza to begin with (bad luck I guess).  Its new address at 2114 Hillsborough St will get a bit more foot traffic in between Buddha's Belly and Sadlack's, and hopefully the rent is cheaper.

WKNC Presents an Animal Collective Listening Party

Come one, come all to the Pour House on January 5th for an Animal Collective listening party hosted by WKNC & Schoolkids Records.  Animal Collective's new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, is set to be relased on vinyl (including an mp3 download of the album) January 6th and on CD January 20th.  However, if you want to listen and buy it before it hits the shelves, Schoolkids will be on location selling vinyl copies during the show.

WKNC will also be presenting three fresh local bands:
Old Bricks
Mr. Goodtimes
& an as yet un-named band consisting of two members of The Cumberland County Mean Gang

WKNC will also be giving away two prize packages from Domino Records to two lucky attendees.  Come on out and make it a night!